Reasons
by Fleppy85
Summary: Sofia and Sara work their first case together after Sofia became Deputy Chief. My idea of what could have happened in episode 21 of season 11 if the writers had eyes for somebody else than Ray.
1. Chapter 1

Sara furrowed her brows. This couldn't be true. Her request to talk to a suspect was denied.

"Screw that!" She scrunched the piece of paper and threw it on the floor and kicked it angrily against the wall. Why was she surprised? She had asked to interrogate a man who has lots of money, lots of influence and a lot of important friends but had no alibi for the evening a young woman died. Instead, he would have had a motive. The young woman was his affair, if she had talked about that to anybody, about the things, she had learnt about him and his business, he would have been in a lot of trouble. Rumors came up that she had been about to sell her story to a tabloid press and when he had heard about that he made her shut up. Forever.

When Sara saw Laura Lane for the first time, the twenty year old woman laid on top of a dumpster, her throat was slashed and she was naked. A man, who had been seen fleeing the scene, was their first suspect. Or, like just learnt, their only suspect. Because her suspect wasn't a suspect anymore. She had managed to talk to him, maybe two sentences, before he buttoned the lips and called a lawyer or an important friend.

"Language, please."

"Deputy Chief Curtis." Sara crossed her arms. Since when did the Deputy Chief leave her office? "What do you want?"

"Do you have a problem with your paper work?"

"No."

"Why do you throw your papers on the floor then?"

"Apparently you can kill a young woman in this city and don't get punished for that. As long as you have the right friends and enough money."

"Eric Smith."

"You know him?"

"I'm here because of him."

"Great." There was her reason why Sofia Curtis had left her office and why Eric Smith wasn't a suspect anymore. Sara just found his important friend in the department. "Just great. Tell your friend, he can make you a Chief, I won't come back to his place anymore."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Do you say he bought me?"

"I don't say anything. I just wonder how someone who had qualified for a detective got pulled into the lab, worked there for quite a while and then returned to the police force can be a Deputy Chief another three years later. That's quite a career."

"I worked hard for it."

"Sure. A lot of work, some good friends."

"Be careful what you say, Sara."

"Some favors. You shake some…hands…smile…use your…name…do some politics and after that, you're almost on top of the police department. I'm sure Smith will make sure, you'll be taking another step to the top today."

"I don't like your tone, Sara and neither do I like what you suggest."

"I don't like men who kill young women because they want to tell the world the truth and who get away with it because they fucked the right person or know somebody who fucked the right person."

"I think you crossed a line here."

"Yeah? How often did you cross a line?"

"I warn you."

"Was that the reason why you weren't at Warrick's funeral? Because you and McKeen were such good friends? Didn't he promise you a great career in the department? He was so fucking right."

"You'd better shut up now."

"Yeah? Why? Will you call one of your friends and tell them that I was not nice to you? Tell me, who did you fuck from the lab? Ecklie? You give Ecklie a hand and he gives me trouble? Or are you already in a higher position? Who was it?"

"Grissom. Repeatedly."

Sara stared at Sofia for a second before her open hand slapped the face of the blonde.

"Sidle! In my office. Now!"

Where the hell did Ecklie come from? Sara was sure he hadn't been around before.

"Bite me." She hissed, turned and left the room, ignoring Sofia and Ecklies request to come back. Her right hand was shaking a bit, she could still feel how it had met Sofia's face. She hadn't planned to slap the blonde, it just happened and it felt good, it felt right. And by the moment she hit Sofia's face, she knew she would have to pay for it.

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang for the third time. Sara didn't bother to look up anymore. She didn't want to talk to anybody, she wasn't home for anybody. She tried Grissom's number. Again.<p>

_The person you've called is temporary not available. Please try again later. _

"Fuck!" Why wasn't he there when she needed him? She heard the doorbell again.

"Fuck off!" She yelled. There were times she had been friendlier, a time she had used words, that wouldn't have been beeped in a TV show. But she didn't feel like talking to anybody, she didn't want to see anybody. She knew, she had lost her job earlier today and she didn't need anybody to talk about this. She didn't need anybody who told her they were sorry, she didn't need anybody to tell her to apologize, to tell her, what she did wrong, that it was all her fault. She didn't want to see anybody, that was all she wanted.

"For crying out loud." Whoever was in front of her door rang the bell more frequently and didn't seem to accept that she didn't want any contacts. She got up, went to her door and pulled it open. "Will you fucking leave me alone?"

"No."

"You're the last person I want to see." Sara turned and slammed the door. Sofia was on the top of her list of people she hated most right now. And this annoying woman had put her boot in the door, so that Sara couldn't close her own front door.

"Excuse me." She stared angrily at the blonde. "Get your boot out of my door. Now!"

"No."

"I didn't ask you to do so, I told you to do so."

"I ignored it and I'm still ignoring it."

"You've no right to be here."

Sofia held up a letter. "I've got something for you."

"Yeah? If Ecklie wants to fire me, he can do it himself. Or do you owe him a favor? An ordinary favor."

"Let me in."

"No."

"Do you want all your neighbors to listen to our conversation? I won't leave, I won't let you close the door. We can talk here in the hallway and have everybody listening or we talk in private in your apartment. Choose."

"I said I don't want to talk to you at all."

"And I told you, I don't care and will talk to you anyway. You can't choose if you want to listen but you can choose the place where we talk and how many people will listen." Sofia's voice was cool but calm. She neither seemed to be impressed by Sara's anger nor by the fact that the brunette had smashed her face a good two hours ago.

For a few seconds Sara stared into Sofia's face. There was no sign that the blonde would back off. She stood there waiting for Sara to make a decision.

"One minute." Sara opened the door and let Sofia come in. Without waiting or talking to the blonde she went in her living room, stopped right in the middle and crossed her arms again. She looked at Sofia. "Stop sneaking around, my apartment isn't your business." Sofia shouldn't think Sara didn't see the way she had looked around. She didn't let her in to show her around or let her have a picture of Sara's apartment, she wanted Sofia to say, what she had to say and more than that, she wanted her to leave right after.

"Say what you have to say, your time is running."

"Ecklie wants to fire you."

"Not for the first time. Forty seconds left."

"He wants to see you in his office at noon."

"I want the sun to circle around the earth. We all want so many things. Thirty seconds. Why are you here? Are you his messenger? His post woman? Did you ring his bell twice? Twenty seconds by the way."

"I wonder what you'll do when the minute is over."

"I'll kick you out."

"Sure."

"Ten seconds."

"Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Still here. And now?"

"Get out!"

"No."

"I won't ask you again."

"No need to, I won't leave. I'm not done."

"I am."

"That's your problem."

"No, this is my apartment. I let you in for a minute, your time is over, get the hell out of here, Deputy Chief Curtis."

"Is it just me or does my title make you pissed off?"

"The way you got your title."

"You think I slept my way to the top."

"It doesn't matter what I think. You're here to tell me that Ecklie wants to fire me. I heard that, you can go now. Job's done, go and get your bone."

"You know Ecklie can't tell me what to do."

"Do I look like I give a fuck?"

"Alright, I'll leave you alone after you answered me a question."

"What?"

"Do you want to lose your job?"

"I won't do you or your friends a favor. I don't sell myself or my opinion to anybody. I think Smith is a suspect, no matter who his friends are. If that makes me unemployed so it will be."

"That's not an answer."

"It's a damn answer. Take it or leave it."

"Do you want to lose your job?"

"I answered your question, leave."

"No, you didn't. I want to hear a clear yes or no."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Apartment. Now! I'm fired, I can't lose my job again and I will slap you again. If I have to, I'll punch you out of my apartment."

"You've got an anger issue, Sara."

"Yeah and you've got a hearing issue, Deputy Chief. Do I have to write down that you should leave now?"

Sofia shook her head. "I tried it."

"Yeah, go and get some treats for that. Be a good bitch."

"Sara…"

"Go!" Sara opened her front door. "Leave me alone."

"As you wish." Sofia left the apartment.

As soon as the blonde was out, Sara slammed the door and locked it. That was enough, she wouldn't open her door anymore. Not today. She was done with the world. Same for telephone and cell phone. She turned off both and dropped on her couch.

Anger issue. At least she was an honest member of the law enforcement team and not a person that rich people could buy. She really worked for her job, she didn't sleep with anybody to get further. She didn't…she saw the letter Sofia had left on her table. She grabbed it cursing , torn the envelope apart and got a paper out. Clearly written by Ecklie. It told her nothing new, she had to be in his office by tomorrow noon. She had to get her paper and leave all the things that belonged to the crime lab in his office. Fine, if that was what they wanted, that was what they'd get. She didn't want to work for a team, a team leader, who was bought by politics and celebrities. She wanted to work for the truth. And everybody deserved the truth, no matter if rich or poor.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're late, Sidle." Ecklie barked at Sara when she came in his office without knocking. It was five past twelve.

"Really?" The sarcasm in her voice was obvious.

"Sit down, you know why you're here."

"You sent a pet cop to invite me to a private party. Thanks, Ecklie."

"Sidle, you're…"

"Sorry I'm late." Sofia popped into the office, closed the door and sat next to Sara. "Did I miss something?"

"I didn't know you wanted to come here, too." Ecklie was obviously confused.

"Sure. This is because of Sara and me, isn't it?"

"It's about a CSI who physically attacked a Deputy Chief. This is not only disrespectful but also not acceptable. Miss Sidle, do you want to say anything before I fire you?"

"Let me think about that…would you like 'Fuck you'?"

"Miss Sidle accepts her dismissal. Deputy Chief Curtis, would you like an apology?"

"Over my dead body." Sara laughed.

"I want to know if Sara really wants to stop working for the LVPD."

"She isn't in a position…"

"Conrad, I asked her. Yes or no, Sara. I only want a yes or a no. Do you want to go on as a CSI here?"

Sara looked at Sofia. She wanted to throw so many things in the blonde's face, she wanted to curse, she wanted to call her names, wanted to insult her. Like yesterday. The problem was, she had a few hours to think and being honest to herself she didn't want to lose this job. She wanted to work with her friends, she wanted to be a CSI. Could she wrestle down her pride and say this? Wasn't it like she sucked up and wanted Sofia's help? Would she feel good after giving Sofia the satisfaction of having accepted her help? Truth be told, the blonde was the only one who could still help Sara.

"I always liked my job."

"Yes or no." Sofia didn't give in. She wanted to hear one of the two answers she had offered to Sara. This was her game and she accepted only her rules. And only one of the answers she provided.

"Yes." Sara said between her teeth and she hated herself for saying it. And hated herself even more when she realized that a burden fell off her shoulders.

"Conrad, I want you to pull back your dismissal."

"What?" Both, Ecklie and Sara, stared at Sofia.

"You heard me. Sara isn't fired."

"I'm her boss and I…"

"What you saw yesterday had nothing to do with her job. It was personal. The personal problems of Sara and me are not your business, Ecklie. Plus, if I say she'll stay, she'll stay. Or do you want to argue with me?"

"I…no…Deputy Chief."

"Good. Do you want to torn apart the letter or do you want one of us to do it? Sara?"

"I do it." Ecklie's face was red. Unwilling he torn the letter apart.

"I'm glad we could get this out of the world so fast. Now we can go back to our jobs and do what we get paid for." Sofia smiled and got up. "Have a nice day, both of you. It feels like a good day to me." She left the office.

"I don't know how you did that, Sidle, what you promised her, but I swear sooner or later I'll get you. You've always been a lose canon and you're still a lose canon with no respect for supervisors and people of a higher rank."

"And because you have this respect I'm not fired." Sara got up and left the office. She was confused, didn't understand why Sofia had done this. Why did the blonde help her after she had physically insulted her? There was no reason for that. Sofia had to have a back-up plan. Sara was sure, the other woman planned something she needed Sara for. If Sofia thought she had bought Sara with this, it would be a pleasure for her to prove Sofia wrong. Nobody would ever buy Sara Sidle and definitely not someone like Sofia Curtis.

Deputy Chief Curtis.

* * *

><p>"Show me your file", Sofia demanded when she came into the break room of the CSI lab. She wore all black and looked a little bit like she was about to kick some asses. As Sara was the only one in this room, it seemed to be her ass being about to get kicked.<p>

"What?"

"Show me the file of the dead dumpster girl."

"Why?"

"You can choose again: Because I ask for it or because I'm a superior and tell you to do so."

"Bite me."

"Why don't you save this pissed off mood for Ecklie? The file, Sara."

Shooting an angry look at the blonde, Sara got up to get the file out of her file cabinet. From a yard distance, she threw it on the table.

"If you want to burn it, let some pages disappear, let me tell you, I've got copies."

"Not the smartest thing to tell me in case I plan to do things like that."

"Can't stop you, you're the almighty Deputy Chief."

Ignoring Sara's comment, Sofia browsed through the file, read a few sentences, looked at some photos. "You don't have an eyewitness."

"I've a motive and the possibility plus no real alibi."

"An eyewitness saw a man in his late forties fleeing the scene…"

"Yeah, I know. An eyewitness who was stoned."

"You think he saw somebody else?"

"I wasn't allowed to talk to him, as far as I know he was questioned for five minutes and left again."

"You tell me, the officer who interviewed him didn't do his job right?"

"I know it's hard to remember old times when somebody is in a position like you are, when the present is much nicer than the past. Try it anyway, how often did you interview the only eyewitness in a murder case for about five minutes?" Sara said sweetly.

Sofia looked at the file again. "Okay, come on."

"To where?"

"I don't invite you to lunch, Sara. We'll talk to the officer who interviewed this man."

"Why? Your friend Smith is out of the game, he's happy, you can be happy too." Sara couldn't react as quickly as Sofia moved to push her against the wall.

"Listen, and listen carefully." The blonde said quietly, her face only an inch from Sara's away. "I'm not a dirty cop, nobody bought me. If you have a personal problem with me, discuss it in private when we're both off duty. If you have a professional problem with me, we can discuss it in my office, here or anywhere else, but tell me what the fuck your problem is. If you just want to piss me off, let me tell you, if you go on with this, I'll give you a hard time, Sara. I'm here because I want to know what happened to the girl, if you and your file have anything to add to the case, angles nobody has worked on so far, or you found mistakes in the work of the police, I want to know which ones. That's why I want to see your file and want to talk to the officer, who had talked to the eyewitness. I could do that alone, without you even knowing it, but it's your case, I want you involved. So if you don't mind, get a fucking grip and stop pissing me off. It's a day of choices for you and here's another one: go on and be a bitch or do what you're supposed to do and work on the case. Try to swallow whatever it is that makes you behave like an idiot when you're around me and go back to work." With a little push Sofia let go of Sara and walked to the door.

"You really want to look into the case again? They closed it." Sara could still feel the hands of the blonde on her collar, the pressure and she still smelled Sofia's perfume.

"I've got a magic key that opens closed cases if I want it that way."

"Need a moody CSI to sniff around with you?"

Sofia turned and look at Sara. "Is that your decision?"

"Yes."

"You know the name of the officer who talked to the eyewitness?"

"Brendan."

"Lets go." Sofia didn't wait for Sara, she left the room.

Sara was a little bit surprised and waited for a heartbeat before she could follow the blonde. That was odd. Earlier this morning she entered the department safe in the knowledge that she was fired. Her dismissal was taken back, torn apart after Sofia – the reason why she got in this situation – told Ecklie to do so. Then the blonde showed up in the break room, demanded her file about the case that had started the whole story and now she followed Sofia to rework the case again. Plain crazy.

"Where can I find officer Brendan?" Sofia asked the first officer she saw.

"Over there, Deputy Chief." The woman pointed to a man in his late thirties.

"Thanks." Sofia walked over, not looking if Sara followed her. "Officer Brendan?"

"Yes. Sir." He got up when he saw who Sofia was. "What can I do for you, Deputy Chief?"

"I'd like to talk to you about the eyewitness in the case with the young woman in the dumpster."

"Young woman…oh yes, the whore."

Sofia furrowed her brows. "I didn't know she was working an illegal job."

"Deputy Chief, it's obvious when she ends up in a dumpster."

"Was it obvious or was there solid evidence?"

"It's…I was just saying."

"Apparently. Did you also just took the statement of the eyewitness?"

"I don't understand."

"It took you less than five minutes."

"He told me what he saw and left."

"I'd like to see your report."

"I…of course, sir. Shall I send it to your computer or shall I go and get it for you?"

"I'd like to have it now."

"One minute, please."

Sofia looked at her watch. "I'm waiting."

Officer Brandon left the desk.

"What?" The blonde asked when she caught Sara's eyes.

"You can be such a bitch."

"I took you as my role model." Sofia shot back dryly and earned a little smirk from Sara. She had nothing to add to that.

"The report, sir."

"Thanks. I'll get it back to you as soon as I'm done with it. It's complete, isn't it?"

"Yes. Sir."

"Good. I hate to read reports and have more questions than before." She took the folder and walked away, Sara right behind her.

Usually the brunette wouldn't follow her like a dog, but she knew it was her only chance to reopen the case and bring justice to the victim. Her guts told her that something was wrong and Sara trusted her guts more than a police officer.

Sofia went in her office and meant Sara to sit down by a short movement of her hand. She made a copy of the report and gave it to Sara. Both started to read without talking.

Sara had used the few seconds waiting for the copy to examine the office. Everything was black, the desk, the shelves, even the carpet. There were no personal items, no photos, everything was reduced to work.

"The witness saw a man fleeing the scene, he described him in his forties, small size, around five foot seven, wearing a black sweater and black jeans. He flew in north directions, a knife in his hands." Sofia read out loud.

"When you were a detective and somebody came up with a story like this, what was your response?"

"First of all, it was in the middle of the night. I saw some photos of the scene, there wasn't much light around. There's nothing mentioned about the distance between the witness and the suspect. Every ordinary person, who slashes a throat, wouldn't let a witness take a look at them, they would just run. The witness had to be hidden somewhere – which isn't mentioned here – or a distance away – which is also not mentioned.

The witness described the man in his forties, five foot seven. You can judge that when you're closer to a person, then again you would be able to describe the face too. He didn't mention the suspect was hooded, so why not more details?

Last but not least: the suspect slashes a throat and runs away with the surely very bloody knife in his hands? Open to see for the whole wide world? That's bogus. He either cleaned it and put it back in his pocket or he dumped it somewhere. Nobody runs away with a bloody knife and if they do, they're not smart and leave a lot of traces with the body. According to your report and the report of Doc Robbins, there weren't many traces."

For the first time Sara was kind of satisfied with Sofia and her behavior. The blonde seemed to remember a few basics of police work.

"Maybe Doc Robbins and me didn't see them." She offered an excuse for the officer.

"Sara, please, I'm not stupid. I do doubt that officer Brandon wrote a good report or interviewed the eyewitness the way he should have done but I don't believe that you or Doc Robbins worked sloppily. I won't give you this satisfaction."

"Just offered a possibility so you don't have to tell off one of your men."

"If they deserve it I'll do it. Tell me what you think about the report."

"I'd like to come back to your comment about the light. You're right, there wasn't much light at the crime scene and I doubt there's much light in the head of your officer."

Sofia grinned. "I like your sensitive way. Ideas what to do now, Miss Sidle?"

"The Deputy Chief could order somebody to interview the eyewitness again. To bring some light in the story."

"Yeah, she could do that but she won't. Don't look at me like I try to cover something up, Sara. Let me finish the sentence first. I think I want to work this myself. With you."

"What?"

"Since when do you have difficulties understanding English?"

"You're the Deputy Chief."

"Means I'm too stupid to investigate? You think my report would be even worse than this one?"

"No."

"But?"

"But…you don't do legwork anymore."

"I don't have to do it but I doubt anybody will forbid me to do it."

"No."

"So, what do you say? You and me on this case?"

"You want to work a case against a friend?"

"Why friend?"

"Eric Smith."

"Did I ever mention he's a friend of mine?"

"Yesterday you said…you were there because of him."

"Yes, he has some friends in the department and I wanted to know if there are reasons why he was investigated to tell his friends, everything was like you expected it to be. You assumed he's a friend of mine, that I want to cover for him, that he bought me. Truth is, I've never talked more than half a dozen sentences with him."

Sara stared at Sofia. Did she get everything so wrong and accused the blonde falsely of something she never did? Did she block the investigation because of her foolish and not professional behavior? Not just that, she also assaulted the blonde, who saved her ass in Ecklie's office although she knew that Sara accused her of something that wasn't true.

"I think I've to apologize, Sofia." Sara said.

"I don't want an apology. I want to know if we work on this case together or if I have to ask somebody else to help me."

"You've got my help."

"Good, we should start then. I'd like to talk to the eyewitness, what about you?"

"I'd like to join you."

"Alright, let's see if we can find him and make him tell us everything."


	3. Chapter 3

Paul Tree was the name of the man Sofia and Sara were after. The address they had took them to south east Las Vegas, to a narrow street with lots of graffiti of sexual suggestions and some pictures with details, you don't want to see your children, on the buildings. More graffiti than not broken windows.

"Doesn't he live in the most beautiful house you've ever seen?" Sofia asked sweetly when they stood in front of a one story building. The windows in the front were replaced with cardboard, most of the paint was on the ground, together with a lot of garbage. A suggestion what a woman called Tina should be with a Barry was written all over the front wall.

"Yes, I can't imagine anything better than stepping out of my house in the morning and straight in a used syringe." Sara looked on the ground.

"True. They wasted some heroin. Nowadays people don't appreciate anything anymore." Sofia kicked the syringe away. This wasn't why she was here.

"We could take it, get the DNA and you can catch a junkie."

"We could do that, yes. Or we do what we want to do, why we're here."

"Let's see if Paul wants to talk to us."

"Paul. Who the fuck is Paul anyway?" Sofia grinned. They tried not to step on garbage and knocked on the door. With a loud bang the door fell into the hallway and buried a lot of empty pizza and other fast food boxes under it.

"Ooops. Sorry."

"Deputy Chief, you're not very sensitive." Sara chuckled. Sofia's face had been to great when she saw the door falling down. A little bit like they were in a comic.

"That's what happens when things piss me off. Take it as a warning, Sara."

"I'm horrified. Paul Tree? LVPD, we have a few more questions."

"Since when does the CSI calls out for the witness? That's the job of the police."

"It's called emancipation and happened while you had a sleep at your desk."

Sofia eyed Sara, trying to hide a little smile in the corner of her mouth.

"Paul Tree, get out! You're not in trouble, we just have to ask you a few more questions regarding the dead woman."

"What the fuck did ya do to my door?" A man in his late twenties came out of a room. He had long brownish hair, didn't have shaved for a few days and if Sara's nose wasn't wrong, didn't use a shower for the same amount of time. If his clothes had ever been in a washing machine, it had been a long, long time ago. She had problems to tell the original color of the shirt and the pants.

"I knocked, it fell." Sofia explained.

"I can fucking sue ya for that."

"Or I sue you because your front door is a danger for the public."

"Bloody public ain't has a fucking thing to do here."

"I always appreciate it to talk to people who know how to use the right words. Listen Paul, listen carefully because I don't like to repeat myself and I don't like to waste my time here. You don't look like a man, who offers good coffee out of a clean cup, so I want to get away from here ASAP. I'm sure you want the same. Tell the lady and me: what did you see two nights ago? What did you tell the police?"

"Fucking man slashes the throat of the bitch in the dumpster."

"You saw him doing that?"

"She had her bloody throat slashed, he ran, he did it. Told the officer already. Ya ain't fucking talk to each other?"

"We even write reports, read them and sometimes we come up with new questions. Like how did he look exactly?"

"How the fuck should I know? It was fucking dark night."

"You described the officer a man. Can you describe him again?"

"Bitch, it was fucking two nights ago…"

"That's Deputy Chief Bitch for you." Sofia interrupted him calmly.

"…whatever. Old dude, dressed in black."

"How tall?"

"Five something."

"Listen Paul, we can do this here or we do this at the department and I promise, it will take longer than five minutes. Plus I'll send some officers to your lovely home and let them look for everything, you're not suppose to have in your house. Got me? Good, why don't you try again and better?"

"Five seven. Small. Late forties."

"Where did you stand?"

"At the fucking corner."

"Which one."

"Right side."

"Of the dumpster?"

"Yeah."

"And where was the man?"

"Running the other way."

"Really?"

"When I say so."

"When you say so, I say, it's bullshit."

"Ya don't like it, ya ain't fucking ask me."

Before the man could react, Sofia had twisted his arm and pressed him with his face to the wall.

"Paul, Paul, Paul, I told you, I don't like it here, I want to be away fast. Now I've to stay longer because you lie to me. That pisses me off. I ask you for the last time, what did you see?"

"I fucking told ya."

"And I tell you that if you had told the truth, the man was Spiderman. If you stood at the right side of the dumpster and he ran the other way, he ran straight to a wall, five yards high. There were no doors, nothing. That means, he ran to the right, the only way he could flee. According to your story, you stood there. There's a street light, you should have been able to see more. One possibility is you lied to me, you saw him and didn't tell me. Or, the second possibility, you lied to me because you weren't there. This is your last chance, you tell me what really happened or you'll end up in custody. Believe me, I can make you stay in jail for a long, long time. You've got a sheet, if I get you for drug possession, this was the last morning you were able to scratch your balls in your own room. So?"

"I fucking told ya what I know."

"Alright. Sara, call a black and white and get the rest of the CSI team here. I want this house searched, every inch of it and you'll get everything that doesn't look two hundred percent legal in the lab, work on it and at the end we'll see for how long Mister Tree will be the guest of the State of Nevada."

"My pleasure." Sara took her cell phone.

"Bitch! What the fucking hell are ya doing? Put that fucking phone away!"

"Sorry, you lied, I warned you, I hate that. You've ruined my day, I've to stay here and for that I'll ruin your life. Call them, Sara."

"Wait! Wait! Will ya fucking wait? This dude gave me a Benjamin."

"What dude?"

"I haven't seen him before."

"Describe him."

"Snobby dude, expensive suit, shiny shoes."

"Try better."

"What the fuck…not quite six feet…nail polish."

"Nail polish?" Sofia furrowed her brows. That was unusual.

"Yeah, that fucking dude had polished nails, probably a fag."

Sofia took her cell phone while she still pressed Paul to the wall.

"What ya fucking doing? I told ya the fucking truth."

"I believe you and I want you to work with an officer on a picture of that man. A nice picture of his face. If you do a good job there, no officer will come into your house."

"That's fucking…"

"That's your fucking last chance, Paul…send a black and white to 395 Langston Road. I've an eyewitness here, he needs to be taken to Irwin, I want them to work out a picture of a suspect. Thanks." She put her cell away. "What did he say when he offered you the money, Paul?"

"Told me to tell the cops about a man I saw fleeing. Told me how to describe him, that's it."

"Did he have blood on his clothes or hands?"

"No, he looked like coming out of a fucking magazine, little fag. No blood, no dirt."

Sofia and Sara exchanged a short look. Both knew, if that man had killed the woman, he would have had traces of blood on his hands and clothes. Paul Tree didn't see the killer but he talked to somebody who knew who had killed the woman.


	4. Chapter 4

"And now?" Sara asked when Sofia stopped her car in front of a coffee shop. They had waited until two officers had picked up Tree to drive him to the police department.

"Break time."

"Break time?"

"Alright, call it however you want. We'll brainstorm and have a coffee while we do that. How is that?"

"I can go for a coffee."

"Me too."

They walked into the café and with their coffees they sat down on a table a little bit aside of the rest.

"What do your guts tell you?" Sofia asked.

"They're happy because they were right. The man your officer was looking for doesn't exist. I knew it was a lie."

"Tell me why Eric Smith."

"She was his ex, she knew things about him he didn't want her to tell anybody. She had contacted a tabloid press to talk about Smith. I'm sure he found out and he or somebody he paid, made her shut up. I got told to back off and leave him alone."

Sofia smiled a bit. "What you didn't do."

"I didn't go to his house anymore."

"There are other ways to investigate somebody. What did you find out?"

"You imply I did investigate him? Against the order I got?"

"Yes."

"And you think if I did I'd tell you? You think I want trouble?"

"To be honest, sometimes I've got the feeling you do want trouble. In this case I think, you want justice for the dead woman. Of course you can tell me what you've already found out later, make it look like you just came up with it but that will waste our time. And you know I won't give you a hard time for investigating Smith."

"Not? And I know that because?"

"If you thought I'm such an asshole, you wouldn't be here with me. You're not my biggest fan, you don't trust me endlessly, but you believe I want to find out who killed the woman and that this is more important for me than bossing around because you ignored an order."

"Interesting theory." Sara sipped on her coffee, considering her next step. She could play dumb or talk to Sofia, after the blonde knew already Sara had ignored an order.

"Want another coffee to think?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. I don't have any evidence that tells me, he is the killer."

"Your guts tell you."

"Yes."

"They were right so far."

"I don't get a warrant for my guts. All I got was trouble from my boss."

"Lucky for you, somebody who's above Ecklie is with you, he won't get you in trouble for working the case anymore."

"You just stepped on his toes for the second time today . Why?"

"Because we have to consider Eric Smith as a suspect."

"I don't mean it that way and you know that. Why did you make him torn apart my dismissal? Why did you tell him to keep me?"

"As I said, it was personal in the room. For me, there were personal reasons."

"I accused you of things that didn't go back to you as a private person, I referred to your job, it was about your position. That's not personal."

"Depends on the point of view. When you tell me I sleep around to get a better job, I take that very personal."

"I should apologize for that."

"Only if you think it's not true and you said it to insult me."

Sara bit on her lips. Did she? Did she say these things to insult Sofia? Was it her anger that had made her say these words? Or did she really believe it? A fact was, she didn't have any evidence for her accusation.

"Your career is quite unusual…" Sara started.

"Apology taken. And I apologize too."

"What for?"

"Well, in the end it was my fault what happened, that happened what Ecklie saw."

"Why? I slapped you."

"Yes and I made you do it."

"You…" Immediately Sara knew what Sofia meant. There was only one reason why she had slapped her, only one comment. "…you didn't..?"

"Sara, I never slept with Grissom. I said it because you accused me to sleep around and that I got my job only because I slept with every man in the department. You made me look like the department whore. When you said I'd been in bed with McKeen and that was the reason why I hadn't been to Warrick's funeral, I reacted like a child that wants payback. Knowing you were jealous because Grissom and me got along quite alright I used that to strike back. I deserved the slap in the face.

Didn't Grissom tell you?"

"I couldn't reach him yesterday. He's in Peru, doesn't always have a signal and…doesn't matter. I'd better learn to control myself. Otherwise I'll always be a lose canon."

"Sometimes there are good reasons to get angry."

"What are the other reasons?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said there were good reasons. Our conversation yesterday was one reason."

"That's all you get for now." Sofia smirked. "You've to earn more reasons. Besides, your break is over, investigator. Why don't we invite Eric Smith to the police department? In case he doesn't want to talk to us in his house."

"Sounds like a good next step."

"Your guts like it? Then we'll do that. You know where we have to go?"

"Yes."

"Good." Sofia threw her keys to Sara. "You drive."

"The car of the Deputy Chief."

"I don't want any scratches on my ride, Sidle."

"I take that as a personal insult, Deputy Chief Curtis." Sara grinned. She felt better. Not only because she could talk to her primer suspect but mainly because Sofia told her she had never had sex with Grissom. Maybe it was stupid that she gave that so much credit. It could have happened before she and Grissom were involved but it had hurt. It had hurt that he never told her about it. Like it had hurt when she found out a few months ago, that she was working a case with one of his ex girlfriends as a suspect and he never mentioned the relationship to her. Despite the fact he knew, they'd meet at the convention. It could have been the same with Sofia and he didn't tell her. Now she knew, there had never been anything to tell.


	5. Chapter 5

"Deputy Chief Curtis, what can I do for you?" Eric Smith didn't bother to get up from his chair when Sara and Sofia entered his home office. Like the rest of the house, his office was spacious with large windows, dark colors and decorated with diplomas and photos of Smith with important and famous people.

"Didn't I tell you I don't want to talk to you?" He said when he saw Sara.

"You can talk to me." Sofia offered.

"Deputy Chief, this woman…"

"Is here because I asked her to come with me."

"Will she apologize?"

"No, she won't. There's no reason to do so."

"What? I think I've to call the Chief."

"Do that. And call your lawyer because I want to talk to you regarding the death of Laura Lane. We can do this here in your office, like a little chat, or we take it downtown and there might be a lot of people around who will see you in interrogation."

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"I give you a choice."

"You can talk to my lawyer."

"Alright, we'll see you downtown. I'll get a warrant and give a statement to the press."

"Don't you dare!"

"Are you telling me what to do?" Sofia's voice was ice cold. Sara had to hide a smile. The arrogant and cool part had always suited Sofia very much. The former detective didn't back off because Smith gave her some attitude and made some threats.

"You get yourself in trouble."

"I'm doing my job."

"You're harassing a good friend of the mayor."

"All I did was telling you I'd like to talk to you regarding the death of Laura Lane. As far as I know you were involved with her. If my former lover died, I'd help the police to solve the case and catch the murderer. Even if the end of the relationship had not been nice. It's a person you cared for once."

"I'm a busy man, a man with success. You're not successful when you're stuck in the past. It's important to care what the future brings and not what was in the past."

"Sometimes the past influences your present which can effect your future. You choose: we talk here in private or I leave, get a warrant and invite you downtown."

"When we talk in private, she'll leave." He pointed at Sara.

"Miss Sidle investigates the case, she's my CSI. She was at the scene, she knows the scene. She has the knowledge we both can't have because we weren't there."

Sara was sure Eric Smith didn't hear that Sofia's voice had slightly changed her tone when she mentioned that she and him hadn't been at the scene. If the man had anything to do with the murder of Lane, he knew everything.

"I want to talk to my lawyer."

"Alright, you talk to your lawyer, I get the warrant." Sofia looked at Sara who only nodded. There wasn't much they could do.

"I wonder if you'll find a judge for that."

"Don't worry I will."

"Who?"

"Leave that to me, Mister Smith. I'll see you later." Not bothering shaking the man's hand, Sofia left the room, Sara by her side. They ignored the comment of the butler that their car had blocked the way in front of the house and took off.

"You made yourself not very popular. He's a friend of the mayor." Sara had given the key back at Sofia.

"I'm sorry for him."

"The mayor?"

"No, Smith. Our mayor is somebody I don't want to have as a friend. And I thought, I'd find out how you feel as you make yourself not very popular quite often."

"Are you trying to piss me off, Sofia?" It was the first time that Sara had called Sofia by her name. Until now she had avoided the name of her former colleague to not get too personal, not too friendly.

"Back in the days I've been good at this. I thought I just check out if I'm still good. Some things you don't forget. How am I?"

"A sad excuse for a Deputy Chief."

"Why do you think so?"

"You didn't make the man talk. He'll hide behind his lawyer and it will be harder for us."

"He's a smart man, he said 'lawyer' before he had answered a question to the case."

"We went there for nothing."

"No, we didn't."

"Why not?"

"We had a look around. Saw his nice house."

"We didn't go there to see his house. At least I didn't."

"No, we went there to get some information."

"And we left with nothing."

"Did we? You disappoint me, Sara."

"Why?"

"You didn't pay attention."

"To what?"

"To Smith, his friends, his people."

"Do you mean I didn't appreciate the photos of him and his friends? I'm not interested in the persons he had dinner with or whose hand he shook and whose wife he fucked."

"Neither am I. I like the bodies of the people I saw."

"In plain English, please."

"How many people did you see?"

"What? I saw Smith."

"And?"

"And a butler, a gardener and…a bodyguard."

"Good. What else? What did you see when you looked at them?"

"Nothing."

"That's poor."

"What the hell do you mean? Stop playing games and tell me."

"They all had polished nails. A butler, okay, maybe. A bodyguard? Strange. A gardener? Absolutely not. You saw Smith's nails? Polished. They look like he spends a lot of time and money on them. Even the friend of the mayor can have a fetish and I think, the fetish of Smith is polished fingernails."

"The man who gave Tree the Benjamin had polished fingernails. And he makes his money with nail polish. When Tree mentioned the polished nails, it triggered something. I couldn't come up with the connection until now. The nail polish makes Smith even more interesting for us. Maybe another reason for a warrant."

"Now she's back with her smart head. Thank God."

"You think we can use that?"

"It would be the first warrant I get for polished fingernails."

"Talking about warrants, who will you ask?"

"That's my little secret. I've got important friends too."

"You've got friends? What do you pay them?" Sara smirked. She had to say that, the temptation had been too big.

"Get out of my car! Now!" Sofia stopped in front of the lab. "Work on the case, I'll be back with a warrant ASAP . I want to talk to Smith before we go home."

"What's the magical word with six letters?" Sara slipped out of the car.

"Faster!"


	6. Chapter 6

"You tried to call me." Grissom's voice was like music in Sara's ears. She left the break room to have some privacy.

"Yes." He sounded like he was around the corner. If only he were…she missed him.

"Sorry, I was in the jungle and had no signal. How are you?"

"Alright. I miss you."

"I miss you too. How are you doing?"

"Well…" She thought for a moment that she could simply not tell him what had happened the last day. On the other hand, she wanted him to know, she wanted to involve him.

"I got fired."

"What? Why?"

"I…" Okay, she had to tell the whole story. "I had a disagreement with Sofia."

"Sofia? Since when do you have any contact with Sofia? I thought she left the LVPD."

"No, she's the Deputy Chief. We had a little argument yesterday."

"And she fired you?"

"No, Ecklie fired me."

"What has Ecklie to do with all this?"

"He saw how I slapped Sofia in the face."

"You did what? Sara! Why?"

"Like I said, we had an argument. Ecklie saw it and called me in his office this noon to fire me. Before he could do so Sofia came in and told him I wouldn't be fired. She made him torn my dismissal apart. I'm not sure why, but to cut a long story short: I'm still with the LVPD and I work a case with Sofia. We were out in the field the whole afternoon, no problems, so there's no reason why you have to worry."

"My wife got fired because she slapped another woman, the Deputy Chief, and I'm supposed to not worry? I think it's time for me to come back to Vegas."

"Now that you mention it, yes it's time for you to come back." Sara smiled. That was a fabulous idea. If Grissom came back because she had got fired for a minute, she wanted to get fired every day.

* * *

><p>An envelope appeared in front of Sara's eyes. She had been so concentrated on her report that she didn't realize that somebody had entered the room: Sofia.<p>

"What's that?"

"A warrant."

"You really got a warrant for Smith's house? Now I'm impressed."

"Not the entire house, we've to stay out of his office and business areas, but we can search the private section as Lane was his lover and not a business partner. I wanted the whole house, but a bird in the hands is worth two in the bush."

"True."

"His lawyer called the Chief, who called me, not happy that we invaded the privacy of a good citizen of the city. I explained the case to him, he's still not happy, but we're free to talk to Smith, who will be here with his lawyer any time soon. I booked an interrogation room for us."

"You were busy."

"I did what I was supposed to do. What did you do?"

"I got the sketch of the man who paid Tree. It runs through the computer, if we're lucky, we'll get a match. He doesn't look like Smith, not even close."

"My money is on one of Smith's men who got the order to solve the problem of the talking woman. The best way to solve a problem, that includes a talking woman, is killing her. Smith will have a solid alibi for the night Lane died."

"Of course. What means, we've to be very good to get him for murder. Unfortunately for him, we are very good." Sara smirked.

Sofia cocked a brow. "I like that new self-esteem. You got that with your marriage?"

"Maybe. By the way, Grissom says hello."

"You talked to your hubby while you were on duty?"

"No, I took a break to talk to him. Wanna tell me off for that, Deputy Chief?"

"I'll tell Ecklie and let him tell you off. Can't do it myself after I got you out of trouble today. He's the evil one today, I'm the good fairy."

"Don't ride it too long, Sofia."

"Hey, I saved your ass. I think I can ride that for the rest of the day. Besides, you started to call me Sofia again and not only Deputy Chief. I make progress."

"Am I a project for you?"

"Yes. My personal enjoyment of the day. Unfortunately, fun time is over, we've to go back to work. Move your ass, investigator, I want to talk to a suspect. You better have all the information we need at hand or you'll be in trouble. I hate it when my people don't work the way they're supposed to work."

"I'm not one of your slaves."

"You're mine, like it or not, Sara. I can boss you around and you're supposed to do what I say. Lucky for us, I don't do that."

"Not if you want to work with me peacefully."

"I do. Let's see what the lawyer has to tell us. Wanna bet with me?"

"About what?"

"He has polished finger nails."

"Smith's gardener has polished finger nails, I expect his lawyer to have them too. Sorry, I don't take this bet."

"What a shame. What about something else?"

"Like what?"

"I bet we close the case and get Smith's ass for the death of Lane."

"If I bet against us it means I don't believe in us and in our work. I won't take that either."

"You're not the player type. Alright, I bet I blow Ecklie off before you can do it the next time."

"That's a bet I take. What will I get from you?"

"Nothing, you won't win. You've to pay my dinner."

"You mean, you'll pay mine. I'm not sure if I want to have dinner with you, but I can always send you the bill of my dinner. Thanks Deputy Chief." Sara grinned and opened the door to the interrogation room for Sofia. She made the point and if the world hasn't turned upside down, she would win this bet too.

"Mister Smith, what a pleasure to see you again." Sofia sat down right opposite of the man and sent him an easy smile.

"My client doesn't understand why he was forced to come here."

One look at the lawyer's hands told Sara she and Sofia had been right. Polished fingernails. Why was it so important for Smith that everybody who worked for him wore nail polish? Was it a kind of fetish? She had to talk to Doc Robbins, if there were any traces of nail polish on the body. If they could track down a special brand – like the one Smith manufactured - that was used by all of Smith's men, they would have solid evidence.

"His former lover is dead."

"As you said, she was a former lover, he has nothing to do with her anymore."

"We'll find out. When was the last time you talked to Laura Lane, Mister Smith?"

"My client hasn't talked to Miss Lane since they ended their relationship."

"Which was when?"

"Three months ago."

"And since that time, they didn't have any contact at all?"

"No."

"That's funny." Sara joined the conversation. "Miss Lane called Mister Smith a few times. We checked her cell phone outcalls."

"Only because this woman dialed the number of his house, it doesn't mean she talked to him. Her calls were all ended by the butler."

"She never got put through?"

"No."

"I bet that has pissed her off."

"We don't have any knowledge about the emotional state of Miss Lane at that time."

"Of course you don't. Didn't she come to the house?"

"She did. Again, she didn't get further than to the butler. If Mister Smith doesn't wish to talk to an individual, he doesn't have to."

"Yeah, we can see that." Sara said dryly. "Isn't it a little cowardly to have anybody else handle your problems?" She looked at Eric Smith.

"It's what he has his people for. They get paid to do so. You don't understand that."

"True."

"How many people work for Mister Smith?" Sofia asked.

"Why?"

"He has a butler, a bodyguard, a gardener, a lawyer, I wonder who else is there for him."

"Around a dozen people plus the people in the factory."

"And they all wear nail polish?"

"Mister Smith makes a lot of money with nail polish."

"I'm aware of that. My uncle made a lot of money with flowers but we didn't wear them all the time. And neither did the people who worked for him have to wear flowers in their hair."

"Wearing nail polish isn't illegal, Deputy Chief. I don't understand why this is relevant."

"Did Laura Lane wear his nail polish?"

"She got some. We can't tell you if she wore it or not."

The cell phone of Eric Smith rang. He answered the call, listened, put the cell phone away and spoke for the first time.

"This was my butler, a police officer and a CSI are in my house, searching it."

"You've no right…" The lawyer started.

"We have all rights we need. We have a warrant and sent one to your office, one is with our colleagues and if you wish, you can have a look at the one I've with me." Sofia put the warrant on the table.

Sara noticed the little smile, the blonde hid in the corner of her mouth. She didn't tell Sara about the house search. She had supposed, they'd go over together. That somebody else searched the house while Eric Smith was here, was good. He had no chances to let anything vanish this way.

"You could have told us."

"As I said, your office has a copy, they could have called you. Besides, Mister Smith can't help us with the search, it doesn't matter where he is."

"It's my house."

"We'll go there now. This interview is over. I'll talk to your boss."

"As you wish."

"Who's your boss?" He looked at Sara.

Sara pointed at Sofia. "She is."

"It isn't over, Deputy Chief Curtis."

"Of course it isn't. The killer of Laura Lane isn't in jail, it won't be over until he is. And I promise you, he'll be in jail. Soon." Not bothering to get up, Sara and Sofia watched Eric Smith and his lawyer leaving the room.

"Somebody is angry." Sara said after a few seconds.

"Yeah, somebody is very angry." Sofia took her cell phone and read a message. A new smile appeared on her face.

"What?"

"I've got a new bet for you."

"Which one?"

"I bet you want to buy me a coffee within the next minute."

"I don't think so. It's more likely I'll get into your face. You didn't tell me, there's somebody at Smith's house already."

"Just had that organized. Like a tow truck. Somebody parked his Bentley on a spot clearly labeled as a disability spot."

"Are you serious?"

"I never joke about disabilities. Not the best day for a young, rich man."

"The day isn't over yet."

"No."

"The older the day gets, the more I like it."

"You'll like it even more when I invite you to a coffee now."

"I won my bet. As your boss I will approve this coffee break. What will Cath say when she hears I took her spot?"

"Good luck with her." Sara grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

"Sofia, since when are you responsible for the CSI teams?" Ecklie entered the break room, where Sara and Sofia sat with a coffee, working on the case. They tried to find out who worked for Eric Smith and if one the employees looked like the man who was seen in the street Laura Lane was killed.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Eric Smith called the mayor and complained about Sara who apparently works for you."

"You're her supervisor, I'm above you which makes me her supervisor too. When Sara was asked about her boss, she said I was her boss which is basically correct." Sofia leant back and watched Ecklie. She was relaxed because knew she had the rank and he had no chance to disagree. Of course Sara had to respond to him, he gave her the orders but Sofia could give Ecklie orders.

"Fine. Make sure she stops pissing people off."

"You mean friends of the mayor? He is a person of interest."

"Is that why you let tow away his car ?"

"His car was towed away because it blocked a spot for disabled people. If Eric Smith can't read, he shouldn't drive a car. Same for his driver, if he has one. Or did I miss the memo that friends of the mayor can park wherever they want? I always thought everybody has to respect the rules."

"Don't risk your job over a dead whore."

"I don't risk my job, I do my job. We're supposed to work equally hard for everybody and not only for the people with money, Conrad. Every victim has the same rights."

"Whatever." He turned and left.

"I think he feels like you took away his authority." Sara finished her coffee. It was nice to sit back and watch the conversation between Ecklie and Sofia. She didn't have to talk, she could only observe and listen. And above all she could enjoy.

"Poor guy. You owe me a dinner."

"What?"

"I pissed him off."

"No, I did because I said you were my boss."

"He argued with me, not with you."

"Doesn't matter, I was the reason."

"Alright, we can argue about that or find a compromise."

"Which is?"

"You pay my food, I pay yours."

"Yeah, I order a pizza to your house and you order one to mine."

"You don't want to eat with me, Sara?" Sofia cocked her head.

"I spend my work time with you, isn't that enough? Since when do we have to socialize?"

"Since you lost our bet. You owe me a dinner and you'll be there while we eat."

"Is that an order, Deputy Chief?"

"I can't give you orders for the time you're off work."

"Exactly."

"It's a character lack not to keep what you've promised when it comes down to bets. I didn't pick you as…"

"Look at this!" Sara interrupted Sofia and pushed a photo to her. "This guy looks a little bit like the man Tree saw. Don't you think?"

"Michael DeGabbo. He is one of Smith's bodyguards and yes, he has some similarities with the sketch. Enough to make him interesting for us. I put our dinner date on hold for him. Wanna come with me and ask him where he was when Lane died?"

"More than I want to have dinner with you."

"You're insulting me, Sara. That's not nice."

"That's me. Come on, Deputy Chief, time for some more field work. You can sit at your desk after we've closed the case. Move it."

"You're very cheeky for as CSI and you don't show any respect."

"Cry me a river."

"Really not nice." Sofia grinned and followed Sara. They had a lead and if they were lucky, they had found the missing piece to solve the puzzle.

* * *

><p>They found Michael DeGabbo at a gas station, filling up his car. An officer had called them that he had seen the car of him with which he had saved Sara and Sofia a trip to DeGabbo's house.<p>

"Michael DeGabbo?" Sofia asked.

"Who wants to know?" DeGabbo was a little bit over six foot tall and solidly built.

"LVPD, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"About what?"

"Laura Lane."

"Who's that?"

"The ex girlfriend of your boss Eric Smith."

"He has so many ex girlfriends, how am I supposed to remember them all?"

"She's the one you killed three nights ago." Not entirely correct, he was there, but if there was no blood on his clothes, it was unlikely that he killed her. But knowing their eyewitness wasn't very reliable, Sofia considered DeGabbo as the killer until she found anybody else.

"What?"

"You slashed her throat in the street, threw her in a dumpster, paid a street rat a Benjamin to tell the police about a bogus man and then you left. Unfortunately you didn't pay enough, we've got an eye witness and his description matches you." She held up the sketch. "Comes more than pretty close, don't you…damn it!" Sofia jumped aside so the gasoline didn't hit her. DeGabbo had thrown the gas pump nozzle at her and started running.

A second after the surprise Sofia followed him.

"DeGabbo, stop or I will shoot."

The man wasn't impressed and moved on, not looking back. Like a marathon runner he easily made the distance between them bigger, jumped over a little fence without hesitation, climbed a seven feet fence and was around the next corner before Sofia could only reach the higher fence. She had lost him.

"Fuck!" She kicked the fence, slapped her fist against it a few times and turned around. Sara was following her.

"I've lost him."

"I called back-up."

"Thanks. He ran away like I was a toddler. I hate it when they run."

"There's no doubt, he is fit. And guilty of something."

"Yeah, stupid me, I should have gotten him to the department before I started talking to him. He can't run anywhere from there."

"You don't have a warrant, you can't arrest him. Couldn't. Now you've got a lot of reasons."

"And no suspect."

"I bet he'll show up at his partner's house if he wasn't alone that night or goes to Smith's house or call him."

"True. I'll send two undercover officer there. If he's smart, he won't call Smith from his cell phone, we can track that. But if he were that smart, he hadn't paid a man, who gives a fuck about him, a hundred dollars to lie to the police."

"He made mistakes, he will continue to make mistakes." Sara stopped when the police car stopped next to them.

"Deputy Chief Curtis."

"We're looking for this man." Sofia handed the sketch of DeGabbo to the officer . "He works for Eric Smith, might show up there or will try to get in contact with him. Send somebody to his address and two undercover officer to Smith's house. He's likely to be the killer of Laura Lane or worked with the killer, so he is dangerous. Send a car to Paul Tree, DeGabbo might want some payback for rolling on him."

"Yes Sir."

"Thanks." Sofia looked at Sara. "Let's go back to his car. We will get some fingerprints and DNA from there. With running away he gave us the possibility to take what we need. Maybe there is a good aspect if they run. At least when they leave a car behind. If we are lucky, we'll find some traces that connect him to the case and the scene."

"We? Since when do you work as a CSI again?" Sara smirked.

"I'll supervise you. If you make any mistakes, be sure I'll make you pay for them."

"You don't know anymore how proper CSI work looks like."

"Don't bet on that, Sara. I might surprise you – again."


	8. Chapter 8

"Leave your evidence alone." Sofia demanded when she opened the door and called out for Sara.

"Why?"

"DeGaboo is here. They picked him up in front of Smith's house. If you're not working on some really important evidence, you can join me. I'll talk to him now."

"I've some interesting things about the car, the rest can wait until later. The evidence won't run away."

"Neither will DeGaboo anymore." Sofia held the door open for Sara and walked with her to the interrogation room. He sat there without a lawyer, his hands being cuffed.

"Mister DeGabbo, it's nice to see you again so soon. Sorry I couldn't catch up with you earlier, I've to admire you, you're really sporty. Do you exercise a lot?" Sofia sat down, a little smile on her lips.

"You've no right to hold me."

"You ran away when I wanted to talk to you. Call me suspicious but a person who runs away has something to hide. I'm a very nosy woman, I want to know what they've to hide, why they run. Why did you run, Mister DaGabbo?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Jeez, that hurts. You could have told me right away."

"People like you don't care."

"True, we aren't nice people. Your boss is a nice person, is that why you went there?"

DeGabbo shot Sofia an angry look. He knew he had made a mistake going to his boss. Not only had the police caught him there but he had also made them being interested in Eric Smith.

"Your car is here, too, in case you wonder. No, wait, it's not your car, it belongs to Eric Smith. Can you take it all the time as you please?"

"I had to fill up the gas."

"You can't take it for joyrides?"

"No."

"Only when he tells you to take it?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. What did you do in the street where Laura Lane died?"

"Who?"

"The young woman in the dumpster."

"I don't know anything about that nor do I know her."

"Okay. Since when are you Eric's bodyguard?"

"Three years."

"You go where he goes?"

"That's the idea of personal protection."

"And you do what he tells you to do?"

"That's what every boss expects their people to do."

"Most do. That doesn't mean they can't make you do things that are not legal."

"I didn't do anything illegal."

"What did Eric tell you to do three nights ago?"

"Not your business."

"See, you're wrong here. I've got an eyewitness who saw you on MacRoy road. The very place where we found the body of Laura Lane. To help your memory, she's the former lover of your boss. You've been working for Eric for three years, you must have known her. You took both around when they were a couple. You knew Laura, you knew she was at MacRoy road three nights ago. Did you ask her to come there? It's not a place a woman like her spends her nights. She went there because somebody told her to go there. Did you call her?"

"No."

"Do you remember seeing her?"

"No."

"Did you drive the car three nights ago?"

"No. Mister Smith was at home."

"I'm not sure he was, we can't prove anything else at the moment, so we'll skip that. Who else drives the car?"

"Only me."

"Does Eric drive his car himself? Alone?"

"He drives the sports car."

"Oh yes, the one he unfortunately parked wrong. I heard, he has it back. He doesn't drive the car that you drove to the gas station?"

"No."

Sofia looked at Sara.

"I'd love to believe your story, I really do. It sounds good, solid, like you're a good worker, somebody your boss can rely on. People like you are hard to find, DeGabbo." Sara leant back, let her eyes run over the man. "Nice nails. What nail polish do you use? It doesn't look like it was cheap."

"The one Mister Smith makes."

"Of course. Do you get it for free or do you have to pay for it? What does it cost? Something like twenty bucks?"

"We get it for free."

"Does he ask you to wear it?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind? You need your hands as a bodyguard."

"It's not like it's in the way when I work."

"Yeah, something like a ring would be worse. I had a look at your car and I believe you, you're the only one who drives it. There were only your fingerprints inside. Some of your hair was on the driver's seat, the passenger's seat was spotless clean. Do you have to wash the car yourself?"

"Somebody cleans it once a week."

"He did a great job. I take a wild guess and say the car has been cleaned five days ago."

"Three."

"Monday morning?"

"Afternoon."

"See, I knew it had to be before Monday night. Do you want to know how I knew that?"

DeGabbo started to slip nervously on his chair. He knew he ended up in trap. Sara had played him, had made him tell something, he wasn't supposed to tell her.

"I've no idea what you're talking about."

"See, I worked the scene, I worked on Laura Lane's body, I took pictures of the scene, collected evidence. When we collect evidence, we get also examples of trees, flowers, grabble, whatever makes a scene unique. I found seamen of a tree on the tires of your car. The same seamen can be found in MacRoy road and I also found the same kind of grabble. Isn't that quite unusual for a car that had never been there? What do you think?"

"The city is full of grabble."

"True and there are more trees than one. The thing is, if you send somebody into a forest with, let's say Redwoods, and ask this person to give you a single piece of tree, of any tree. You might think it's impossible to find this particular tree, when there are hundreds or thousands of the same kind of trees. The truth is a tree has a DNA like a human has. All you need to do is to get a piece of every tree in the forest and you'll find the exact tree, you got your first example from. It takes some time, but you'll find it. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I want a lawyer."

* * *

><p>Two plates with good smelling pizza were put on the table.<p>

"I'm impressed Sara, you got him."

"I made him cry lawyer." Sara tried her pizza and sighed quietly. That was the best pizza in Las Vegas. She loved the vegetarian pizza here. Even the fact she was here with Sofia and had to pay Sofia's pizza, didn't spoil her fun.

"You found the evidence that connected him to the crime scene."

"Tree DNA is a really amazing thing, it's not the first time it helped us to close a case."

"Things can only be amazing when somebody amazing knows about them, uses them and makes them work."

"Don't suck up, Sofia."

"Learn to take a compliment, Sara."

"I prefer to take another bite of the pizza. And celebrate that Eric Smith is in trouble."

"His bodyguard got him into trouble. I'm not sure if he will take the fall alone or if he'll take Smith with him. So far, we've got only evidence that let them think Smith knew about what his employee did but not, that he ordered to kill his former lover."

"A man like Smith will know which buttons to press so that his people won't roll on him. The question is: Whatever he has to keep DeGabbo quiet, is it strong enough to keep him quiet for a very long time? Is it something that makes him want to get the needle instead of talking to us?"

"We'll find out. So far we've enough evidence to get DeGabbo for the murder of Lane. With all the outstanding evidence, we'll build a solid case."

"We didn't find the knife that was used."

"No, I bet we never will."

"Sofia, we need him to roll on Smith to get him too. And on whoever was there too – if it wasn't Smith."

"The D.A. will offer him a deal. If he takes it, he'll make everything easier."

"If not, we need to go back and work the case again."

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Not until a case is really closed and not if I don't have a chance to do it right."

Sofia smiled softly. "You'd be a great supervisor, Sara."

"What?" Sara almost dropped her knife and fork. Did Sofia really say what she understood? Was there something in the pizza? Damn it, she had just finished her pizza. If it was poisoned, it was too late for her.

"You got me. Ever thought of becoming a supervisor?"

"Over my dead body."

"You don't do the lab any good when you're dead, Sara." Sofia put her empty plate aside.

"Not my world."

"That's a shame."

"Depends. Before I pay my debt, I want to know why you made Ecklie torn my dismissal? Besides, that you made me mad at you."

Sofia smiled. "For my personal satisfaction."

"Personal satisfaction?"

"Ecklie demoted me when I was acting supervisor. He used me, he wanted to use me to get rid off Grissom. I don't like it when people use me or treat me wrong. I knew one day the right moment would come to pay it back to him. When he wanted to fire you, the moment was perfect. He was so happy to have found a reason to make you leave and I was even happier to find a chance to do something that really upsets him. I bet he's still mad because you're still a CSI."

"You did it for your own good."

"Yes. You thought I did it for you?" Sofia smirked.

"I wasn't sure why you did it."

"Now you know, personal satisfaction and payback." Sofia got up, put some money on the table. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah…wait, you said, there were reasons. Plural. What is the other reason? Or reasons?"

"You'll never know. What I gave you, is all you'll ever get." Sofia sent Sara a last smile, turned and left the restaurant. She put on her shades outside. It wasn't because of the sun that was setting down in the west, it was mostly to hide her sad eyes. She never gave Sara the real reason why she stopped Ecklie from firing her, she never would. It was impossible. Under no circumstances she could tell Sara Sidle that she was in love with her. That was a secret she had to keep in her heart forever.

THE END!


End file.
